1. Outline your marketing goals. Make sure to include any research or information that supports your marketing plan. For example, keep a notebook that has all applicable keywords, research for new sites to connect with, and business contacts.

2. Outline a specific time-frame for completion of your goals. If you layout a timeline for your goals, you will be much more likely to reach them.

3. Make a list of all of your marketing plans. Each time a new idea comes to you, add it to your list.

4. Plan out your budget. Know how much you have available so that you can be sure to spend it wisely. Be clear here on where you will spend your advertising dollars. Don’t just tell yourself, “I have some money for marketing.” Instead, be specific. “I have $100 for paid press releases.” or “I have $40 for a Google Adwords campaign.”

5. Think through how you will handle the clients/customers who respond to your marketing attempts. Too many make this mistake. They market and ask questions later. A client calls and wants additional information on their services and they are like ‘now what do I do.” We want to have you so that when that potential client calls, it runs like clockwork!

6. Make a list of any/all the marketing you’ve done in the past. Note next to each item on the list whether or not the marketing attempt was a success or failure and why.

By taking each of these steps you will find yourself well on the path to an effective marketing plan.

Jill Hart, Founder of Christian Work-at-Home Moms and Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, have teamed up to write So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business. Start or expand your business today with their help.

“David also said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and brave, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, because the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or leave you until all the work for the Temple of the Lord is finished.“

1 Chronicles 28:20 (NCV)

Thinking Through It All

Today we talked about being strong and brave and simply “doing the work.” I’d love to discuss the following in the comments section below:

* What has God asked you to do that you have been putting off or avoiding?

* What steps can you take today to “do the work?”

* Have you asked God for direction? If not, seek Him. Ask for wisdom and strength to do the work He has asked you to do.

* How can we be praying for you?
(You can post prayer requests below or send your request in here)

Comment Below!

Order Today from CWAHM and get FREE SHIPPING!

Want to read the first chapter of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom?
CLICK HERE!

Or buy the book at Amazon.com!

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They asked the Lord, “Has Saul come here yet?”
The Lord said, “Yes. He’s hiding behind the baggage.”

1 Samuel 10:22 (NCV)

Thinking Through It All

Today we talked about hiding from God’s calling in your life. I’d love to discuss the following in the comments section below:

* Is there a calling in your life – something God has asked you to do – that you may be hiding from?

* How can you make time to learn His promises and trust them?

* How can we be praying for you?
(You can post prayer requests below or send your request in here)

Comment Below!

Order Today from CWAHM and get FREE SHIPPING!

Want to read the first chapter of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom?
CLICK HERE!

Or buy the book at Amazon.com!

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Ten tips to incorporate social media into your marketing plan:

1. Determine What Social Media Sites Are Best For You. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the top three, but that’s only the beginning. Determine who your target market is and then meet them where they are. It’s okay to ask by taking a survery by email or on your website asking which social media avenue your clients prefer. Once you determine that, be consistent and realize that you can’t be everywhere all the time. Pick the ones that are best for your business and really engage.

2. Team Up With Other Entrepreneurs. By teaming up, you allow easy access to retweets, Facebook posts, etc. Plus, it’s a great way to provide your audience with more valuable information on topics that would interest them by sharing information that is provided by the business(es) you team up with. Just make sure that your choose teammates with information that is a good fit for your audience.

3. Don’t Just Advertise, Build Relationships. We’ve all seen them. The tweets and Facebook postings that we know are scheduled and we know are only trying to sell us something. We aren’t saying that you can’t promote your services or products. In fact, we encourage you to do that. But do it right. Don’t just be about landing the deal. Truly connect with your audience and show them why they would want to work with you. We know you’ve heard it a million times already, but it speaks for itself and bears repeating: Social media is meant to be “social.”

4. Make It a Two-Way Street. You post and you post and you post on Facebook. You’ve tweeted away on Twitter & you’ve updated your status on Linkedin. Finally you’re done. Social marketing is ready to be checked off the list. Not so fast! Realize that just like you are posting there are others out there posting and building relationships as well. Get out there and respond to others, too. When you think about it, how do you feel when someone posts on your Facebook posting or blog entry? It feels good, doesn’t it? When you see a Facebook posting that you like leave a comment – always making sure you add value and are not just promoting your business.

5. Make It Exciting. We see this often: business owners on Twitter who get on for 20-minute increments and during that time we are inundated with retweets. They will throw in an occasional tip or two, but basically it’s just 20 minutes of nonsense. Now we love a good retweet, but we don’t enjoy this at all. When you are marketing your business via social media, make sure that you engage with others and make it exciting. Give some good information and tips – don’t just retweet to be seen. Provide great value and your followers will not only enjoy your messages, but when they are looking to refer someone who needs your services, you will be on the top of the list.

6. Learn From Others. One of the best things about being in business these days is that you have the opportunity to follow the pros and see what they are doing right. They eagerly give out tips, videos, etc. Make it a point to follow those who you respect and can learn from. Sit back and take notes. But more importantly, take the action steps necessary to make these points work. It’s more than learning from them, you need to actually do what they recommend as well.

7. Contribute to Other Networks. Another great aspect of social media is getting your message out to more than just your audience. Offer to guest post for other networks in your area of expertise. You never know who may see your posts and become a client.

8. Create An Expert Status. Why do people follow you? Many times it is because they see you as the best at what you do and they want to learn from you. Therefore it’s important to always give solid tips and advice to really show your expertise. Create high quality blog postings, tips lists and posts to share with your audience. It may take extra time to create high quality work, but the effort will be well worth it in the end.

9. Spruce Up Your Page. Social media has come a long way in a short time. No more are you limited to a tiny avatar of your logo. Most of the social networking sites today allow you to fully customize your page with images, backgrounds and more. Spend the time to create a page that will draw in your audience and make them want to come back daily.

10. Be respectful. One of the things that most business owners value most is time. It’s important when you are on Facebook, Twitter and the other networks, that you be respectful of others’ time. A few ways you can do that:

• Don’t Expect An Instant Response. Sending an Instant Message (IM) to a colleague or respected leader is fine, but recognize that they may not be able to chat with you immediately. Often times that person has allocated a certain amount of time to be on the site. If they are constantly on an IM, they can’t get what they need done. We’re not saying you can’t IM, but be respectful when you do.
• Don’t Take Advantage. Social media is a relationship builder and gives us instant access to industry leaders. However, be careful not to take advantage of someone’s goodwill by asking a zillion questions. Most business owners enjoy helping others, however, to provide personalized coaching is a different story. Always respect the person you are communicating with and we bet you’ll find you get way more back than you ever imagined.

See how easy social media is. When done right it can bring amazing results for your business. Not only will you establish yourself as an expert, but you will be promoting your products and services regularly. Make it a commitment to master social media marketing and we promise you next year at this time, you’ll be so glad you did.

About the Authors:
Jill Hart of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com and Diana Ennen of VirtualWordPublishing.com are the co-authors of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom.

Top 10 Publicity Ideas to Market Your Business This Holiday Season

1. One great way to boost sales and awareness of your company is to enlist the help of a publicity virtual assistant. These experts specialize in helping you to get more publicity.  They can handle everything from writing and sending out press releases to creating entire media campaigns. Let them write better descriptions for your products, find the best keywords to drive traffic there, do research to find where best to locate your target audience, and then finally handle all your PR needs. Publicity virtual assistants take the time to learn their niche and to develop a relationship with their clients so that they can bring amazing results.  See, your holiday sales can meet and exceed last year’s sales after all.
2. Do specialized holiday marketing. It’s not too late to take advantage of all that can be done this year to make more sales.  Consider having a Black Friday sale or a Cyber Monday sale.  Add a contest to your site.     Send out postcards and gift certificates.
3. Article  & Press Release Writing and Distribution – Article marketing works.  It’s a great way to get more exposure for your business and when done right, can result in front page Google rankings, more clients, & lots of sales.  Get active and write a press release about your business making a holiday or New Year connection. For example, share how you are giving back during the holidays, any promotions you have, etc.
4. Get speaking — Set up speaking engagements for the New Year.  In January businesses go back to all work, no play after the holidays.  It’s a perfect time to get out there and connect with businesses and line up speaking engagements.  Also, consider a teleseminar series too.
5. Create a Holiday Blog Tour.  If you have products or tips for the holidays, connect with other bloggers.  Ask if you can provide some holiday tips.  Bloggers are busy this time of year too so they will appreciate the added help.  And the best news, you get more exposure.
6. Set up a Google Adword Campaigns – More people are online now because of the holidays.  And a lot of those people will be checking out the search engines to find Christmas Gifts.  It’s a great time to set up a Google Adword campaign and get that added exposure for your business.
7. Reconnect with ALL your clients and let them know how you appreciate them and perhaps how you can help them with other needs they may not even know you offer.  Send a personalized holiday card or greeting.   For local clients stop by their office and drop off presents, popcorn tins for the staff and/or their favorite coffee for their afternoon pick-me-up.  For potential new clients, drop off a Holiday cup full of wrapped candy with your business card or perhaps get your business name printed on the candy bar.
8. Set up a marketing campaigns designed especially for and around your company or brand.  Write down a marketing plan for the year that will focus on brand recognition.  Most importantly, make sure your brand represents your company the way it should to your target audience.
9. Update your website.  Take a look at your website and see if it is the best that it can be.  Pay special attention to your homepage and keywords.  Look to the overall appearance, the professionalism of your wording, the explanations explaining the benefits you provide, etc.  In fact, everything in your site needs to convince a client to work with you.  Now ask yourself, does it do that?  Is this something I can be proud of?  Too often we throw together a website, just to have it done.  Remember this can often be a client’s first impression of you.  Is it selling you well?
10. Don’t forget your social networking.  Even ½ hour a day can make a considerable difference,  Remember to build relationships and share more than sell.

The holidays are a great time to make money, even in this economy.  If you’d like additional tips stop by SoYouWantToBeaWahm.com today.  Also, share with us your tips for the holidays.

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Jill Hart, Founder of Christian Work-at-Home Moms http://www.cwahm.com/ and Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/ have teamed up to write So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business http://www.soyouwanttobeawahm.com/.  Start or expand your business today with their help.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.

Mary chooses to sit and listen to Jesus teach. Martha, on the other hand, scurries around taking care of what she deems important tasks. Luke 10:38 says that Jesus was a guest at their house, so I’m sure Martha felt that she needed to play the part of the hostess, making sure food was being prepared and floors were being scrubbed. She is busy hurrying, scurrying and worrying while Mary simply sits.

In her frustration, Martha complains to Jesus that Mary has left her to do all the work by herself. And do you know how Jesus replies?

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her.” (v. 41-42)

Lately I’ve found myself hurrying, scurrying and worrying like Martha. There seem to be so many things to worry about each day – my kids, my husband, my business. And if I’m not worrying about them, who will? And if no one worries about them … well, surely something would go wrong, right?

When I came across this story a few days ago I saw myself in Martha, but I long to be Mary. Mary knew that there is only one important thing in life. Hear me on this: One. Thing. And that one thing? Knowing Christ. Nothing compares and nothing else matters eternally.

The bills won’t follow us into eternity (thank goodness!). The laundry will get done. The floors will eventually be scrubbed. But to know Him is the “better thing.”

Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know that [He is] God.” To know Him we must quiet ourselves. We have to make the time to sit at His feet as Mary did all those years ago and listen to Him speak to us – through His Word, time in prayer and by simply listening.

So, this week I’m doing just that – making sure my quiet time with the Lord happens every day – and that it’s actually QUIET time. And making sure that my focus is on the ONE THING that eternally matters, laying the rest at His feet.

How about you? Have you been hurrying, scurrying and worrying? Will you lay it all aside today and sit with Him?

We know what it’s like. You have a great idea and are ready to begin building your business, but how do you know where to start? What are the first steps that you should take? Below are a few tips to get you started in the right direction.

Have a Plan & Work That Plan

The first step toward starting a business is to have a plan in place. Most successful businesses take the time to make sure they have a blueprint to success, a plan. When you have a blueprint and a direction to go, you will be so much more successful. There are many free resources across the Internet that can aid you in structuring and thinking through the writing of your business plan. Once you get the plan in place, follow it!

Don’t Try To Do It All Yourself

A wise business owner knows that they can’t do it alone. Even if you have a small budget to begin with, you can enlist the help of a virtual assistant or possibly volunteers or mentors. Get more on board who have experience that can help you in your business.

Know Your Audience (and why they would be interested in your products or services)

Who are you trying to reach? Who needs your product or information? Take the time to do market research and list out who you are selling to and where you can find them – both online and offline. This will help you both when creating the product/service and in your marketing efforts. Also, make sure you keep in touch with your audience and find out how they feel. You can easily create surveys and find out valuable information about what they really think.

Be Clear On Your Rates

You must be clear not only with potential clients, but you must know for yourself what you need to earn. Be brutally honest with yourself about how much you need to earn to keep your business afloat. Now set realistic goals and figure out how to make that happen. Remember in setting your rates that often times you are selling the value of your services or products, and not necessarily the service or product itself.

You Gotta Want It

Someone asked me once why I thought some entrepreneurs succeeded while others, just as talented, failed. My answer? Those that succeeded wanted it bad enough to do whatever it took to make it happen. Running a business isn’t easy, especially in the beginning. There will be long hours, tough critics and disappointments that can’t be prepared for. The entrepreneur who works through the tough times is the one who succeeds in the end.

Get Busy

Don’t wait until you “have it all together” to take that first step – it will never happen. If you have a great idea and have done enough planning to know where you’re headed, go for it. Be prepared to learn some lessons. Be prepared to make changes along the way. But, if you never take the first step you’ll never know the joy of the journey.

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Jill Hart of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. and Diana Ennen of VirtualWordPublishing.com are the co-authors of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom. For more tips visit http://SoYouWantToBeaWAHM.com.

Classified Ads
One good thing about the technology available to us today is that most Classified Ads are now not only listed in print newspapers, but online as well. Take a look through these to see if there are businesses in your area looking for local at-home workers.

Online Job Sites
Most online job websites now offer telecommuting listings. Use the search term “telecommute” to help give you the best results. There are even websites that cater to the work-at-home crowd such as HireMyMom.com. Remember – always be sure to read the fine print, and research each company/opportunity that interests you.

Freelance
More and more at-home workers are freelancing on a contract basis. Writers, web designers, graphic artists, and more are finding this a viable option to allow them to work from home. There are websites, such as elance.com, that cater specifically to the freelance community and make it easy for freelancers to connect with companies and individuals looking to hire them.

Start A Business
Other trend among telecommuters is heading out on their own. Taking the data entry and executive assistant skills that they’ve gained over the years, these at-home workers are now launching their own Virtual Assistant (VA) services, Copy-writing services and other such businesses.

There are an amazing amount of resources for telecommuters today. These positions are in high demand, so be sure to polish your resume and tailor it to fit the type of work that you’re searching for. Be persistent – it may take a while to locate the right opportunity, but it will be well worth the wait.

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Jill Hart’s entrepreneurial career began in her teens when she spent a summer working with her father who ran his own business. When he put her in charge of a Coke machine and allowed her to keep the profits, she saw the benefits of being her own boss. She is the founder of the popular Christian work-at-home website CWAHM.com and mentors business owners at http://SuccessfulChristianWomen.com. Jill is also the co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill Press, 2009).

As popular as blogging has become, I often hear from home-based business owners who are trying to figure out exactly what a blog consists of and how they can use one to benefit their business. Below are three tips that can help maximize the impact of your business blog.

1. It’s All In The Name

Be sure to choose a name for your blog that is both descriptive and easy to remember. Try to stick to either your business name or the name of your star product/service. If none of these are available consider using your name or business tagline.  Also, consider possibly adding in your keywords … such as Publicity Virtual Assistant.

2. Use Keywords Effectively

When you write posts for your business blog be conscious of the words that you choose. Pepper your posts with keywords relating to your business, products, services and brand. These keywords will trigger Search Engine results and help you reach the top of the results for your keywords. Be careful not to overuse keywords, though, because readers will get frustrated  and the Search Engines consider that against the rules.

Also, consider keyword phrases – often called long tail keyword phrases (why, I’m not sure!).  Long tail keywords are simply a sting of words that make up a phrase that represent your keywords. Think, what would people type in Google to find me.  Examples, “how to start a business.”  Think … how can I define my blog more (or this particular post). I wrote this blog post on … (fill in the blank), now what keywords do I need to put in so others can find me? 

1. Choose a Meaningful User name
If possible, grab your business name as well as your own name for use on Twitter. Having an easy-to-find and easy-to-remember username is essential.

2. Brand your Twitter page
Don’t leave your Twitter page boring and plain – spice it up. Make sure you add your logo, contact information and any other information that will be helpful for customers and visitors to your page. You can use a website such as TwitBacks.com to create a free or very low-cost background to bring life to your page.

3. Learn the Lingo
Twitter can be very useful, but it can also be very frustrating … especially if you have no idea what all those little symbols mean that fly across the screen. Take the time to research the meanings of the tags most often used on Twitter. One great place to do so is right on Twitter itself: http://help.twitter.com/portal

4. Follow industry leaders
Veteran entrepreneur Diana Ennen shares this tip: “I love to follow industry experts on Twitter and gain all their business insight. It’s almost like being right there in their office and getting in on their trade secrets. Not only do they post tips and how to information, but often share their business successes and mistakes and that allows me to learn from them. It’s so worth it!“

5. Interact
Don’t be shy! Take a few minutes each day to comments on what others are discussing or to throw out a question or idea. You never know when a topic is going to spark a response and help you build relationships with customers and your fellow Twitter users.

6. Don’t make it all business news – be YOU
It’s great to share about the things going on in your business and you certainly will want to share specials, discounts and other items of interest to your customers. However, as a small business owner you have the unique ability to put a personal face on your business. Let your customers and readers get to know a little about you as well as your business.

7. Run Contests
Twitter is a great fast-paced way to a run a contest. By having a great prize you can create a viral network of “tweets” about your company and the giveaway you’re holding. Sit down beforehand and plan out some great 140 character tweets that you can use throughout the giveaway time – whether that be minutes, hours or even days.

8. Share
Make your Twitter feed a worthwhile read for your customers. Share tips that apply to your target market, links to articles and other informational tidbits. Create a #hashtag for your business or topic (see #3 above) so that you can track re-tweets and mentions of your posts.

9. Be Thankful
A great way to make friends and build contacts is to thank others who re-tweet (RT) your posts. Send a shout-out saying thanks or feature them at special times like FriendFriday (#FF). They’ll know that you’re grateful and you’ll build a community that supports you – and each other.

10. Promote Others
Contrary to popular belief it IS in your best interest to work together with other entrepreneurs and to help spread the word about great things that they may be doing. Not only will people be drawn to your Twitter feed for great information, but they will see that you’re willing to share about more than your own interests. Another great benefit is that those you help promote will one day be there to help promote you as well.

Twitter is a great marketing tool for work-at-home moms. It can help drive traffic to your website as well as aid you in building relationships with your target market. Use the tips above to help guide you in how to best use social media to benefit your business and your customers.

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Jill Hart’s entrepreneurial career began in her teens when she spent a summer working with her father who ran his own business. When he put her in charge of a Coke machine and allowed her to keep the profits, she saw the benefits of being her own boss. She is the founder of the popular Christian work-at-home website CWAHM.com and mentors business owners at http://SuccessfulChristianWomen.com. Jill is also the co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill Press, 2009).

You can find her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cwahm